severe neck irritation from my latex neck seal

[limeyx]

thanks everyone so far, looking forward to more responses...

I switched from a neoprene seal because of leaks, so I'm not looking to switch back to neoprene right now...

my first few dives with the latex seal were ok...

I hadn't dove with the drysuit in 5-6 days, and it was just 1 dive that caused the painful rash...

I'm not sure if I could get udder creme around here, I haven't seen many cows in LA county...

scott

1) Seal could be too tight (try stretching it over a tank for 6+ hours to loosen it up a bit)
2) You could be allergic (as others have said) -- do you get the redness on wrists too ?
3) Some amount of redness is somewhat "normal" (At least for me and a lot of buddies)
4) use a cortisone cream before and after the dive on the redness
5) your hood may be pressing the seal against your neck, causing rubbing
6) if you turn your head left/right a lot, it can also rub
7) sometimes the crud in the SoCal waters (esp. red tide) can irritate it even more -- I get much more rash at redondo than catalina for example
8) are the seals new ? if they have been "in storage" for a while, the latex may be deteriorating (if it goes "tacky" or sticky etc) if this happens redness is inevitable

 

[scottfiji]

thanks for everyone's feedback so far, I'll start off with some talc and look into udder creme..

nick, I'm hesitent to stretch it, it feels about right...and i don't want to risk leakage!

no redness on wrists..I don't think the hood is rubbing... the seals are new..maybe my 8th dive with them..

scott

 

[limeyx]

thanks for everyone's feedback so far, I'll start off with some talc and look into udder creme..

nick, I'm hesitent to stretch it, it feels about right...and i don't want to risk leakage!

no redness on wrists..I don't think the hood is rubbing... the seals are new..maybe my 8th dive with them..

scott

Stretching (in my experience) has never caused a leaking problem.
Even new seals if they have been stored when exposed to air, could be corroded.
Talc (for me) only helps getting the seals on, not with redness

i went diving with new (too tight) wrist seals today and I still have red rings around both wrists, so maybe it is too tight ... (although better to try other fixes than making it too loose

 

[bolantej]

I once left Monterey looking as if I'd tried to hang myself. I just put Neosporin on it and it goes away in a few days. I may try this udder cream stuff.

 

[Brewski]

The talc does help prevent irritation. I have noticed when I hurry into my suit and skip the talc I get much more irritation on the neck than I do when I take the time to talc up before slipping on the seal.

 

[piikki]

I don't know how great this is if you dive very warm water in drysuit (who does??) but here is a product that is absolutely great, Diving Concept Neck Expander collar (I praised it in this thread recently):


http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/exposure-suits/205867-bee-s-knees-cold-neck.html


Buddy was having a chronic noose-neck and got it. Now her neck region is nicely recovering from regular burn marks. I use the collar mainly because I love it for cold-water intrusion prevention but after several dives a weekend, or especially in salt water, my neck would start getting latex rash too. None of that anymore with this simple neoprene collar.

I think the benefit to Apollo is that it's not as "slimy" and does not collect gunk as much - this is hearsay from another user who tried Apollo first though. Apollo might be more suitable if you dive in warmer water than I do or if you swap between warmer and colder a lot and worry about stretching your seal.

 

[String]

I get a really big irritating if i shave my neck anytime within 12hrs of diving. Simply not bothering helps a lot.

Also make sure you rinse the seal in fresh water between dives to remove salt crystals.

Other options:- An Apollo Bioseal. Some rumour that these rot latex seals but it does provide a nice soft barrier between seal and neck.
Maybe Dermashield or similar as mentioned above.

Failing that, get a neoprene seal

 

[frankmzd]

I have this problem all the time, much to the amusement of my colleagues ...
applying plenty of ky jelly seems to help (apply it to the skin, not the seal, and use a LOT). it also seems to get better over time, not sure why though (maybe the seal is loosening up).

 

[Peter_C]

I get a really big irritating if i shave my neck anytime within 12hrs of diving. Simply not bothering helps a lot.

applying plenty of ky jelly seems to help (apply it to the skin, not the seal, and use a LOT).

How you shave is a big one. If you shave using using a new blade, after a shower, with shaving cream, seems to help. The KY Jelly definitely helps, but I will often just use silicon spray on all my seals right before donning my suit, which helps getting them on and off. Placing the seal down lower appears to help a little.

One of my friends swears by some type of deodorant stick rubbed on his neck, before donning.

Having the red ring on your neck immediately allows you access to the "Hang Man's Club".

 

[dstindivr]

If what you're getting is a "ring" then maybe one of these guys has already suggested a cure. If it is a rash, I would suggest a trip to the Dermatologist , as a precaution. If you are allergis to latex it can be quite severe. I found out I was allergic when I worked at a bungie jumping facility, and after prolonged exposure, my slight allergy turned pretty severe. Requiring some cortisone shots to truly relieve the rashes.
Good luck. I hope your not one of the many that is/has developed an allergy to Latex.
Corey